Half-way through June?!?! How in the world are we already half-way through June? It is insane how quickly time passes these days. How was your Father’s Day? J and I went to see my Dad on Saturday, which was nice since I don’t see him but a few times a year. Moving away from home definitely has it’s disadvantages, but it makes the time I see my family mean that much more. I hope you all had a wonderful day, whether you spent it with your spouse, children, brothers, fathers, or friends.
On Sunday, J and I went to church and then spent the rest of the day running errands and doing housework. Exciting day, right? Ha! Zoey made sure to give her Daddy a BIG ol’ kiss to start his day off right, Skeety came in to give some snuggles, and Roo…well, he was just his usual silly puppy self. All-in-all it was a good weekend.
And now I bet you want to hear about this dish, eh? Well, J looooves sun-dried tomatoes, so anytime I see a recipe that includes them, I know it will most likely be up his alley. And since this recipe also includes salmon – it was sure to be a hit. I was a little nervous about the pine nuts in the quinoa pilaf because J claimed to not like the. But I’ve learned during my time with him that sometimes what he’s tried in the past and didn’t like, he has a different opinion about when I make it for him. So, I decided to keep them in, and it worked out pretty well. I will spare you the details of what he asked me if they were, but he ate them and he didn’t complain.
Enjoy this salmon with a creamy, veggie-rich topping over quinoa pilaf with toasted pine nuts – tonight!!
Salmon Florentine and Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts
As seen on Self.com
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
- 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), rinsed and patted dry
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350° F, line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, salt & pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until spinach has just wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.
- Add the ricotta and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place the salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet (skin side down if it has the skin on) and spoon about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture on top of each fillet. Spread out to cover the entire fillet and press down. Bake about 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, place the quinoa and chicken broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until quinoa absorbs liquid, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and stir in pine nuts and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve each salmon fillet, skin removed, over the quinoa pilaf.
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